Three In-State Recruits LSU Football Fans Should Pay Close Attention During Senior Seasons
There are still several big-time Louisiana high school prospects that reside as uncommitted. Three of those players could very well end up at LSU, and here’s what LSU fans should pay attention to when watching these young men this year while they continue to hone their crafts.
To begin, all three of the following players are legit. There’s no questioning the parameters of whether or not all three of them can play in the SEC West for the bayou bengals or any other program for that matter. That’s a resounding yes. It’s just that football needs continued development.
Afterall, football is quite a complex sport. There’s a particular area that even a professional football player like the Honey Badger, Tyrann Mathieu, needs to work on consistently. His work ethic also represents a major component of why he’s still being paid to play the sport he loves, entering year No. 9 in the “Not For Long,” i.e. the National Football League (NFL).
Each of the following three players possess the physical tools to one day be NFL players, too. Here’s a film breakdown of each prospect and how they can improve between now and the time they begin playing college football.
Kendrick Law
Vitals: 5’11”, 185-pounds
Position: Cornerback/Wide Receiver
High School: Shreveport (La.) Captain Shreve
Class: 2022
Best Attributes: Really quick hands to jam a wide receiver, or, while playing offense, to release from a press coverage. Excellent balance and lower body strength. Powers through opposing players more like a weak side linebacker than a cornerback. Mentally, Law is probably as savvy as any player in Louisiana.
His ability to adjust to what’s happening before the snap allows him to help other players line up correctly, plus find ways to better position himself to make plays. Law’s advanced understanding of the schematics of football will aid him once he reaches college.
Area to Improve: Continue to work on stemming as a wide receiver or cornerback. This simply means cutting off the opposing player and using one’s own body as a barrier to block off the opposing player and make catching the football easier. This particular trait is a life-long skill for all receivers and cornerbacks. NFL teams work on this concept during most practices. Fine tuning just the slightest imperfection can matter for a NFL player, and that’s the same for Law.
Shazz Preston
Vitals: 6’0”, 190-pounds
Position: Wide Receiver
High School: St. James (La.) High School
Class: 2022
Best Attributes: Preston’s make-you-miss capabilities provide highlight plays that change a game. Further, those lateral skills such as stopping quickly and redirecting to avoid multiple defenders creates space when running routes; cornerbacks must account for Preston’s natural abilities prior to the snap of the football. In a way that most wide receivers simply wish they could replicate, his shiftiness allows him to turn and cut throughout his routes to help Preston separate from defensive backs quite easily.
Area to Improve: With Preston’s vast talent, sometimes he still does not explode out of his original stance the way he is capable of doing. Whether it’s coming out of his stance too high, causing him to not gain full speed as quickly as possible, or not diminishing the distance between himself and the defensive back, not going full bore will cost him at some point.
It’s just refinement with technique, not effort, that’s in need of being more consistent. Preston is so talented that he caught a touchdown last season after running an average route. That’s raw talent. Once Preston’s technique proves to be consistent, he will be almost impossible to defend during one-on-one matchups.
Quency Wiggins
Vitals: 6’6”
Position: Defensive End
High School: Baton Rouge (La.) Madison Prep Academy
Class: 2022
Best Attributes: First-step explosiveness, especially for a 6’6” player, deserves extremely high ratings. The ability to one-arm stab an offensive tackle and manipulate that player on his way to the quarterback or ball carrier represent unusual ability to bend, as well as Wiggin’s natural strength. Overall, he’s the very rare long defensive end with athleticism and flexibility much more like a 6’1” middle linebacker. It’s eye-opening as to just how physically gifted Wiggins truly is. Interestingly enough, he’s a basketball player by trade. He’s very new to football.
Area to Improve: Due to Wiggins’ late start with football, he simply needs to continue to learn the nuances of how offensive linemen will attempt to trap block, utilize different stances for running plays versus passing plays, as well as knowing the best way for his own stance and alignment to improve so that he makes as many big plays as possible. Wiggins' physical skills are all but unmatched by any player in the country.
As long as this young man continues to develop his football IQ and greater understanding of defensive line technique, there’s no question that Wiggins could end up being a NFL top five draft pick. It’s really a matter of continuing to work towards being the best player he can be and nothing more.
